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Heinz C. Prechter Bipolar Research Fund

The Heinz C. Prechter Bipolar Research Fund supports research on bipolar disorder within the University of Michigan's Depression Center, including major collaborative projects with several other research institutions.

Many Prechter research projects focus on longitudinal courses of study, investigating the progression of bipolar disorder over the long term to more fully understand the underpinnings of the disease. Research supported by the Prechter Fund also aims to understand how the interactions between an individual, stressors, and his or her environment may contribute to the development of bipolar disorder, an understanding believed to be pivotal to the creation of novel treatment strategies.

Since bipolar disorder is known to have a genetic link, the Fund has established a genetic repository containing DNA samples from thousands of volunteers, both with and without bipolar disorder. The repository’s goal is to accelerate the pace of genetic research into the origins of bipolar disorder, with the goal of finding more effective treatments, and eventually, a way to prevent illness.

The Prechter Fund was established in 2001 by Waltraud “Wally” Prechter to honor her husband, Heinz C. Prechter, a prominent businessman who had battled bipolar disorder for most of his adult life and died by suicide at the age of 59.

Wally Prechter launched the fund that supports the world's most ambitious research into bipolar disorder. Here she talks about her mission to find a cure for the illness, and why that pursuit is so personal.